Combined cooker and cooler



- appertains to make and use the same.

Patented Man-2, g y

' UNITEDSTATES NELSON. E'. BOOKS, 0F

PATENT- oFFlcE.

PRESTON, MARYLAND.

ooxizmnn cooxEn lum cooLnn.

application ma April 4, man. serial No. 20,788.

This invention relates to apparatus for continuously cooking and cooling substances packed in sealed containers, such as cans, and itis an object of the invention to provide an apparatus for the purpose indicated which shall comprise two separate helical can paths, in contiguous relation,` the cans being moved along one oflthese paths while the contents of the cans are being cooked and moved along the other path while being'cooled, both ofsaid helical can paths -be1ng housed within a shell or container so constructed that there is direct open communication between the two said paths. The path along, which the cans are moved while the contents thereof are being cooled will be' submerged or partially submerged in cooling water while the other said path will be in a zone subject to the direct action of the heating medium which willpreferably be steam, the latter overlying the body of cooling water. To permit the cans to pass from the can path in the cooking zone to the other can path, assages are provided in adjacent portlo'ns o said paths so that the cans may pass directly from one path to the other.`

It is also an object of the invention to provide an apparatus which will ermit the cans to be transferred from the path in the cookin zone to the path in the cooling zone at di erent points alongthe` first named path to the end that the length of time the cans are in the cooking'zone may be varied to suit the substances being processed. In carrying out this feature of the invention a plurality of passages are provided in adjacent sections of the paths, the passages being opened or closed by suitable gates or slides as will more fully appear by reference to the drawings and detailed description thereof. A

,More particularly the invention has for 'its objectfto provide an apparatus which provements in CombinedCookers will permit the eiiicient practice of the processes set. forth in my prior Patents, Numbers, 1,354,962; 1,491,902; and 1,491,903. Various other features of invention will appear as the description progresses.

Referring to the drawings: Fig. l is a viewpartly in side elevation and partly in section showing the improved cooking and cooling apparatus;

Fig. -2. is an end elevation of Fig. 1. viewed from the right, part of the shell or container being broken away to expose j the interior mechanism, parts of the latter being in section;

Fig. 3. is a section on line 3 3 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 4. is a cross section taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5. is a vertical cross section taken on line 5 5 of Fig. 1.

I'n the drawings 1 indicates a shaft to which is secureda cylindrical reel generally indicated at 2, said reel being provided with a series `of longitudinally extending angle bars 3 maintained in s aced relation to form channels 4 in-.which t e cans 5 may be received and guided longitudinally or parallel with the shaft 1 by means hereinafter explained.

Surrounding the reel 2 is a helical can path or track generally indicated at 6, 'said can path being conveniently made Vof angle irons 7 as' for example, T-iron. Mounted on a shaft 8 is a reel 9, and surrounding. the reel is a helical can path or track 10, this reel and can path being constructed in substantially the same manner as .the other reel and helical can path already mentioned.

The helical can path 10 and its interior reel 9, are located at the bottom of a suitable ltank; or shell 11, the shaft 8 of the reel having suitable bearings in the upright walls of the tank as indicated at 12. The helical can path 6 is superposed on the helical can path 10. The shaft 1 of the reel within `the helical can path 6, vis suitably supported in bearings 13 in the side walls of tank. Both helical can paths 6 and 10 are held in fixed position with respect to .each other and with respect to the tank or container in which the same are contained in any suitable manner.

The shaft 1 on which the reel 2 is mount.- ed is adaptedto be rotated by w source of power, not shown. The shaft 8 any suitable on which the reel 9 'is mounted is gearedto the 'shaft 1 preferably by means of an 1ntermediate shaft 14 and bevel .gears 15 as indicated in Fig. 1.

Filled cans 5 are entered into the shell or container 11 for initial passageI along the helical can path 6 by a suitable rotary feed device 16 at the-top of the tank; the cans being passed through a passage 17 in the helical can path and received in the channel 4 formed by the spaced angle irons 3 extending longitudinally of the reel. The combined depth of the helical'can path 6 and channel 4 is such that the cans will be re ceived partly into both and consequently as the reel rotates the cans will be moved along said helical path from one end of thesa'me to the .other unless previously discharged therefrom.

The helical path 6 constitutes the path taken by the cans while the contents thereof are being cooked and the helical path 10 is the path being taken by the cans while they are being cooled after having been cooked.

The manner of passing the cans from the path or track 6 tothe underlying track or can path 10 will now be explained.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 3 and 4, it will be seen that the adjacent sections of the inwardly directed flanges of the vT- irons are cut away to provide a direct passage 20 through which the cans 5 may pass `the fitting.

from the upper to the lower track. the cans after passing through the opening or passage being received in the channels formed by the radially extending flanges 3 of the angle-irons 3 along the reel 9. Rotation of the reel 9moves the cans away from the opening or passage 2O and progresses them along the helical track or path 10 as will now be understood. A plurality of similar can passages or openings between the two tracks 6 and 10 are provided at different points between the two tracks to permit the distance travelled by the cans along the track 6 to be shortened and thus shorten the .time during which the filled cans are subjected to the' heating medium supplied for processing the filled cans. The various passages 2O between said tracks are adapted to be closed by closure means which preferably take the form of plates or gates 21 which are provided with suitable extensions 21 t0 permit the gates or plates to be operated `from the exterior of the tank or container 11. The plate 21 is somewhat wider than the width between the upright walls 7 or the tracks, and is slidably supported between the two tracks 6 and lO-in the guideways 22 formed in a suitable fitting 23. The plate 21 may be provided with a suitable stop 24 on its undersurface to prevent the same from being drawn too far out of lVhen the slide is closed the cans 5 on track 6 will obviously rest on the slide while passing the same. It will be observed that the top ofthe slide is substantially flush with the can engaging surface of the track and hence no interference will be offered to the cans in passing the opening 20 when the slide is closed.

The means and mechanism for discharging the cans from the discharge end of the lower track 10will now be described. The track 10 which underlies the track 6 and the reel 9 of the former are longer than the upper track'and reel as shown in Fig. 1, and an extension 11 is provided on the tank to accommodate the extra length of track and reel.

Mounted on top of the tank extension 11 is a housing 25 within which is contained a rotary valve 26 rhaving can receiving pockets 27 in its periphery, said rotary valve being tangentially disposed with respect to the track 10. The track 10 adjacent the rotary valve 26is cut away as at 28 to permit cans to pass from the track into the pockets ofthe rotary valve. The cans 5 are lifted from the channels 4 in the reel 9, when they reach opening 28, by mechanism'preferably of the type shown in my prior Patent #1,363,103 patented December 21, 1920, said mechanism including a fixed cam 29 which is adapted to move plungers 30 carried by the end of the reel 9 upwardly for a sufficient distance to elevate the cans 5 into the pockets 27 of the rotary valve 26. Further detailed description of this elevating mechanism is not considered necessary in view ofthe disclosure in the said patent. The housing 25 for the rotary valve 26 is provided with a discharge chute 31 for cans.

The rotary valve 26 is mounted `on a shaft 32 which is suitably supported in bearings in the said walls of thehousing 25 and said valve is driven in the proper timely relation with respect to the reel -9 by any suitable mechanism as by means of an intermediate shaft 33 between the two shafts 8 and 32, bevel gears 34 connecting the shaft 33 to the shafts 8 and 32.

The track 10 constitutes the cooling path along which the cans are progressedafter the contents thereof have been processed, and this track 10 is adapted to be submerged or partially submerged in a cooling liquid such as water indicated at 35. Cooled water is supplied to the bottom of the tank by any suitable conduit 36 and the level of the water is maintained by an overfiow 'pipe 37 disposed at the proper level as shown in Fig. 2. If desired, a st7eam trap 38 may be provided in the pipe The track G constitutes the track along which the cans will be moved while the contents thereof are being processed. A conduit 39 is provided at any suitable point in the tank above the water level to supply the heating medium for processing the-filled cans. `The heating medium'will preferably be steam, but it is obvious thatthe apparatus isnot limited tol the use of any particularl kindofga'seous heating medium. The ase-l ous heating medium will overlie the bo yof i the'cooling Water and the pressure-on the cooling water will,` therefore, be substantial# ly the .same as that in the heating zone assuming that the heatingmedium is under pressure. The interchange of heat between the heatin 'medium and cooling Water Will not be su lcientv to interfere with the 'successful operation of the apparatus.

Thejpresent invention also discloses an a paratus Which-will perinit fil-led cans to el processed for the desired length of time in a heating zone, the' cans being carried around the helical can track while ,being processed. After the cans have-been processed for the desired length of -timethey pass vfrom the track 6 to Ithe adjacent Vtrack 10 through the openings 20 provided between the tracks. After passing from the track'to the track Ithe cansfare discharged from the track 10 by rotaryvalve 26 from whence they are discharged into the vatmosphere through the chute 31.. It will further be seen that if the gatebr .slide 21 at the point a in the tank is opened the' can'swill passthrough the opens ing corresponding to the slide, and the length of time the cans are Vin the heating zone will be less than if they were allowed to pass lfrom the'track 6 at-the points `V bl orc; v 35 While the construction of the appara/ta has been described with considerable par# ticularity of detail, itpwill be appreciated lthat v arious changes can 'be made in the constructlcn Without departing from the spirit 40 of the invention.

What, I'claim is: 1. In combination, a` pair of helicall can tracks of different lengths, the track of" Ishorter .length being superposedonthe other one. the extra length of the longer track extending beyond one end of the shorter` track,

means for feeding cans to the shorter track` rotary means within both of said tracks for progressing the cans therealong, means for passing cans from the shorter to the'longcr track at Vany given point'between 4them comprising alined openings 1n adjacent Sections I.

NELSON n. FooKs. 

